Councillor Matt Colledge, Chair of GMPTA, said: “Metroshuttle has been hugely popular in Manchester city centre. We want to look into whether it will be possible to introduce similar free bus services in other areas of Greater Manchester.

“The Manchester scheme is jointly paid for by the Passenger Transport Authority, Manchester City Council and private businesses. We’d like to see similar schemes set up in other large towns in the county.

Councillor Keith Whitmore, Vice Chair of GMPTA, added: “Developing proposals for free town centre bus services is just one of our top priorities for the next twelve months.

“We will also continue to improve safety for passengers, work with the rail industry to tackle overcrowding on trains, and work with bus operators to provide better and more reliable bus services.”

Passengers now make 2.3 million journeys on Metroshuttle buses every year. The service is funded by GMPTA, Manchester City Council, NCP Manchester and Allied London Properties and operated by First.

The buses run on three different routes at least every ten minutes, making it the largest free city centre bus service in the UK. All of the Metroshuttle buses have low floors, making it easy for people to get on and off.

Transport bosses will now contact the local councils in Greater Manchester to find out if they would be prepared to contribute to the cost of the scheme. They will then develop detailed proposals for new free town centre bus services.

The Passenger Transport Authority’s other priorities for the next year include improving bus services between some of the county’s smaller towns, working with local councils to make sure bus lanes are not blocked by other traffic, and continuing to improve safety and security.

It will also work with Network Rail and the Department for Transport to improve the rail network in Manchester, and develop proposals for a second Metrolink route through the city centre.